The Republican journal., 1887-04-28

slightest evidence of Copper Age has ever
been found in Europe. Not the slightest trace
of ''Bronzc Age' has been found in our
Western States. And yet the articles of these
two ages on different continents are identical in
construction and workmanship. Does this not
prove that the Age of Copper originated among
the Mississippi colonies Of Atlantis; that it was
carried to the parent land and there by superior
intelligence developed into bronze and thence
taken to their colonies around the Mediter-
ranean. The subsequent overthrow of the
| Mississippi colonies and their retreat into
Mexico precuded the possibility of this metal
being introduced among the people where the
Age Of Copper had its origin. The fact that
an Age of Bronze exists among the ancient
| Toltecs Of Mexico, who, as I shall hereafter
show, We're the direct descendants of our
Mound Builders, is almost conclusive evidence
of the correctness of this theory. We find the
| knowledge of bronze wherever the colonies of
Atlantis extended and remained in permanent
possession; while we also have the testimony
Of Plato that the people of Atlantis possessed
| and used that metal. The Mississippi coloni>ts
did not remain in permanent possession, but
were driven out, and southwark, by some un-
| known foe; hence no trace of bronze is found
among their mounds. That they attained
| fine degree of civilization is atteStcd by their
| works here to be seen on every hand. At
Hopetown, Ohio, are
TWO WALLED FIGURES,
| one Il perfect square-thc other perfect cir
| Gle. These enclosures contain exactly twenty
acres each without the variation of an inch.
No more evidence is needed that their know
ledge of geometry was we'll nigh perfect. In
the town of Newark are works of such Magni-
tudc that they occupy an area nearly three
miles square, while enormous embankments
| extend a distance of more than twelve miles!
One of the mounds is in the form of Il birds
foot, ard is one hundred and sixty feet in
| length. Until very recently it has been sup
posed that the mound builders had no know
ledge of the of iron; but even IL is belief is
| now di>proved. Iron tools and OF lcr imple-
ments have been found near Circle Vile, and
| other mound building centres, alt rough SO
badly decomposcd with rust as to he hardly
| recognized. Silver ornaments have also been
found. but not in large numbers. 1t is often
found in very thin sheets wrapped around
| copper ornaments so deftlv Us almost t. defy
detection.
THE ART OF MOULDING
| was we'll understood by them. and have recent
ly been shown articles of domestic use with the
marks of the mould plainly visible upon them.
In mound on the Seoto river Il skeleton was
found around whose neck were beads that had
| been turned in some machine, instead of being
carved into shape by hand. Many of their
carvings are of the most beautiful and delicate
| workmanship, and cannot be surpassed by the
finest artisans of to-day. Their pottery is
marked by Il fneneSs of polish which is fully
| up to the best Peruvian specimens; while the
sculptures upon the same are executed with
strict fidelity to nature and with exquisite
grace and skill. Some oe their representations
| are Of tropical birds and animals, which point
| to an intercourse with the regions of South
America where other Atlanteans were coloniZ-
ed. Strange to say, that with all their skill in
| carving the sculptures of birds, animals and
reptiles, they have left
NO REPRESENTATIONS OF THEMSELVES.
1
we know nothing. They We're not homo
| gcncous race, but varied widely in size. l
have before spoken of the ancient burving
ground near William>ield where the skeletons
cXhumed were of gigantic stature. Per con-
| ira, another burial ground of the Mound Build
| ers has been found in the town of Coshocton
which is peopcd entirely with race of pig
| mics Not n skeleton has hapu IA kan frn,,
that is over three feet in length. From the
| remains of preserved wood around the bones
| it is evident the bodies We're deposited in
| collins. These, again. were placed in small
vaults of solid masonry. They are very num-
erouS and must have been the tenants of some
large city. \ large number of these vaults
have been opened, the inmates of which are all
of this pigmy race. The space cncoses ten
acres and is laid out in regular rows with ave-
nues between. The heads are placed to the
| west and the feet to the east. In one of the
vaults wrought iron nails We're found, although
nearly eaten up with rust. The body in this
vault had evidently been dismcmbercd before
| burial, AS the skull was detached and among
| the bones of the pelvis. Whether these skulls
have ever been examined by any one familiar
with chronological science am unable to say.
When first brought to the light and air they
retain their form for few minutes only. and
then rapidly crumble into dust. This fact
alone proves them to be of an immense anti
| guilty. Skeletons have been found among the
ruins of Nincveh and Babylon over three tholls-
and years old and yet perfectly preserved.
have in NV possession the head of an ancient
Egyptian not less than four thousand years
old, and yet the bones are just as solid AS they
We're the hour he died. But
| THE BONES OF THESE MOUND BUILDERS,
although equally well preserved from mois-
ture, are crumblnS through age alone. That
they were buried long ages before the pyra-
mids were reared on the banks of the Nile, or
Chaldea had dreamed of her future grandeur, |
| have not the shadow of doubt. The causes
which led these people to quit land so fair we
car easily trace. Their immense fortifcatons
| ly harrassed by barbarian tribes from the
North. 10 this it may be objected that Il civil
lied race would never have given way to Il saw
age foe. In order to refute this it is only nee
essary to point to the example of ancient
| Rome. While the wealth of the conquered
nations of Europe and Asia was pouring into
her Golfers, she was overthrown by the barbar-
ian forces of the Baltic tribes. The mighty
| temples and palaces she had reared from the
| spells of centuries of uninterrupted conquest
We're trampled into ruins, and her splendid
civilization plunged into the night of barbar-
ism which was destined to last for thousand
| years. In like manner were the Mound Build
ers of America overwhelmed by their barbar-
ian foes. Fighting their way inch by inch,
they gradually retreated to the southwark, go
ing down under the attacks of numberless foes
in precisely the same manner that Rome went
down beneath the iron blows Of the Northern
GOths under Alaric. Mexico and Central
America was their haven of retreat. Here
they collected their shattered forces, and here
again they built up another civilization which
is destined to yet become the wonder and adj
miration Of the world. In Mexico we find
THREE DISTINCT AND SEPARATE CIvILIZA-
| TIONS.
The Colhuas were the earliest people whose
monuments we have been able to trace in that
country. Then came the Totecs who were
our Mound Builders; and lastly the Aztecs who
in after ages were overthrown by the mailed
hand of the feudal chieftain, fernando Cor
| teZ If was i'm this region that ancient civilian